Data showing Simon Fraser University with the highest percentage of contract faculty in the country at almost 78 per cent is inaccurate, according to one of the two co-authors of a study on precarious employment in Canadian universities.
Chandra Pasma said SFU provided incorrect information in response to a Freedom of Information request for information about contract faculty at the university. The data was published in a study Pasma was a co-author of called Contract U: Contract faculty appoint

TERRACE — The Mounties are searching for a pickup-type truck that was involved in a deadly hit-and-run accident over the weekend near Terrace.
Police say the body of a man in his 30s was discovered in the ditch on the north side of Highway 16 about four kilometres outside the city.
The man’s injuries were consistent with having been struck by a vehicle and police say there was supporting evidence at the scene.
The man has been identified as a Terrace resident and police say it’

VICTORIA — B.C.’s NDP government has introduced legislation to allow ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft to operate in the province, but not until late 2019 at the earliest.
Transportation Minister Claire Trevena said Monday the legislation sets “a well balanced regulatory framework.” But it means the Insurance Corp. of B.C. won’t be ready to offer insurance for ride-hailing companies until “fall of 2019.”
The late 2019 target means the NDP re

VANCOUVER — The families of two British Columbia police officers being held in Cuba say the men might have to stay in the country longer because the prosecutor plans to appeal a unanimous verdict that acquitted them of assault charges.
A statement issued on behalf of the families of Mark Simms and Jordan Long says the news is a “painful realization that the nightmare is not yet over.”
The statement says they have no idea when Simms, 29, a constable with the Vancouver police, an

There is a poignancy about Jack Kowarsky’s presence among the children being served breakfast in the cramped lunchroom of Surrey’s Bridgeview Elementary.
In May 1945, when he was the same age as some of the youngest ones now eating scrambled eggs, he had miraculously survived the Holocaust.
Of an estimated one million Jewish children living in Poland in 1939, very few survived the war — only 5,000, according to information published by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
And he

COURTENAY — British Columbians who haven’t yet marked their ballots in a referendum on electoral reform could distract themselves a little longer by voting for an official fossil symbol for the province.
The Forests and Lands Ministry came up with the online vote after the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria received a donation of 18,000 fossils dating back 52 million years.
There are seven fossil candidates to choose from and the curator of the Courtenay and District Museum and Paleontolo

VICTORIA — Elections B.C. says it is keeping close watch on the potential effect of rotating postal strikes on the electoral reform referendum but so far there are no plans to extend the Nov. 30 mail-in deadline.
Spokeswoman Rebecca Penz says the nonpartisan election agency has yet to determine that the labour situation at Canada Post will cause voters to miss the deadline.
She says Elections B.C. is monitoring ballot returns and keeping tabs on developments at Canada Post.
Penz says that

A full-patch Hells Angel with the Hellside Chapter was found murdered under the Golden Ears Bridge Sunday.
Chad Wilson, a former Hells Angel in San Diego, then Haney, joined the biker gang’s newest chapter when it formed last year.
Some of his buddies had reported him missing the night before his body was found in the 20000-block of Wharf Street, Postmedia has learned.
Firefighters were first called to the scene about 11:30 a.m. Sunday. They immediately called in the Mounties when they fou

If your Christmas display could give Clark Griswold a run for his money, you’ve come to the right place.
This year, Postmedia is looking for the best and brightest of holiday lights and decorations throughout Metro Vancouver. We’re asking you to submit your display to be added to our interactive map. Then in December, we’ll compile a list of our favourites to feature.
Browse on to see where the beautiful light displays will be this holiday!
Click here to submit your Christmas l

There’s plenty of information out there about proportional representation but let’s break down what you need to know about the ballot itself.
As of Monday morning, there were a total of 682,300 voting packages that had been returned to Elections B.C., a total of 21 per cent. This does not include ballots received by Canada Post but not yet transferred to Elections B.C. Of the ballots received, about 10.6 per cent have been screened by Elections B.C.
Here are a couple of frequently as

Regina-raised actor Tess Degenstein stars as Mimi, going out on a date with a different audience member for each performance of Blind Date, playing at BMO Theatre Centre Nov. 22 to Dec. 30. (Photo: Little Blue Lemon Photography)
Blind Date
When: Nov. 22-Dec. 30.
Where: BMO Theatre Centre, 162 W 1st Ave., Vancouver.
Tickets: From $29 at artsclub.com and 604-687-1644.Developed by Canadian improv actor Rebecca Northan in 2007, Blind Date places a member of the audience onstage for a 90-mi

Music for the Augmented Pipe Organ
When: Nov. 23 at 8 p.m.
Where: Pacific Spirit United Church (2195 W. 45th Ave., Vancouver).
Tickets: Free.1. Stops and ranks: At 74 stops, this is Vancouver’s largest pipe organ. In organ-ese, stops (and ranks) describe the number of separate voices that are accessible on the organ; pull out a stop and you hear a specific voice, i.e. flutes, strings-like sounds, horn/reeds, etc. The organ is a Casavant, which means it was made by Casavant Frèr

VANCOUVER — Scientists from across Canada have signed their names to a letter urging the British Columbia government to tighten the wording of its proposed environmental assessment legislation.
The open letter is signed by nearly 200 academics, researchers or officials from 15 Canadian post-secondary institutions and 13 environmental or scientific organizations.
It says Bill 51, which was introduced by the NDP government earlier this month, contains a number of positive reforms and importa

Prenatal exposure to air pollution has been linked to an increased likelihood of autism, according to a recently published Vancouver-based study.
Lief Pagalan, a Simon Fraser University researcher, conducted the birth cohort study in Metro Vancouver using birth data from 2004 through 2009.
The study analyzed air pollution to assess exposure rates over the same period and found that there was an increased risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder in children when their pregnant mothers were exposed to air

Whistler Film Festival
When: Nov. 28 — Dec. 2
Where: Various Whistler venues
Info and tickets: whistlerfilmfestival.com
The first time Brigitte Berman visited the Playboy Mansion, she met primates before she met any Playmates.
It was the mid-1990s and the Toronto based filmmaker was at the legendary Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, mansion to meet the Playboy magazine founder, Hugh Hefner.
Hefner wanted to meet Berman, the film director, because he loved her and late husband

The B.C. government is expected to unveil new ride-hailing legislation today (Nov. 19). Here are five things both supporters and critics will be looking for.
Read through some of the things to watch for in B.C.’s legislation and then share your thoughts on each topic.
Timing
The introduction of ride-hailing services in B.C. has been postponed for sometime, with Premier John Horgan campaigning on an introduction date of 2017. He later said ride-hailing services had to wait until 2018. It&rs

Florida is ground zero for hurricanes. The state even has a name, Hurricane Season, for the months between May and October when the storms most often hit.
But the weeks before Hurricane Season begins and after it ends are prized by visitors who know that spring and fall are the best times to visit. The weather is at its best, the beaches are deserted and hotel rates dip to their lowest of the year.
My wife and I, seeking some quality beach time in early November, headed for Boca Grande on Gaspar

With uncertainty looming at Canada Post, some voters are opting to drop off their proportional representation ballot in person to ensure it arrives on time.
Canada Post and the union representing its workers are currently locked in a labour dispute, with threats of strikes and a backlog of parcels waiting.
Meanwhile, Elections B.C. must receive your pro-rep ballot by 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 30 for it to be counted.
Ballots can mailed through Canada Post using the enclosed envelope provided with y

VANCOUVER, B.C.: Nov. 19, 2018 – Enjoy Monday’s weather because after tomorrow, it’ll be rainy through to the end of the weekend.
There’s sun in the forecast, while some clouds roll in on Tuesday. From Wednesday onwards, it will be steady rain until the weekend is through.Weather: Vancouver, B.C.
Today: Sunny. High of 9.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, low of 4.
Tomorrow: Mainly cloudy, high of 9.Traffic: Lower Mainland
Click below to launch a live traffic map of what’s hap

A Vancouver man has just been charged with conspiracy to sell drugs on the dark web site called the Silk Road. Interestingly, James Ellingson, 42, communicated with Silk Road owner Ross Ulbricbht using the handle “redandwhite” which is usually a reference to the Hells Angels.
So far, Ellingson has not been linked to organized crime, according to a recent court ruling releasing him on bail pending an extradition hearing.
Here’s my story:Vancouver man implicated in Silk Road traf

Homicide investigators have been called in after a body was found underneath the Golden Ears Bridge in Maple Ridge.
RCMP said police were called to the 20000-block of Wharf Street to assist firefighters after the discovery of a dead body Sunday morning.
“Upon attendance at the scene, investigators located the body of an adult male who appeared to have been the victim of homicide,” said Sgt. Janet Shoihet, spokeswoman for the Lower Mainland district.
Television footage by CTV News sho

A Vancouver man is wanted in the U.S for allegedly selling methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and other drugs through the notorious dark-web exchange known as the Silk Road.
James Ellingson, 42, was arrested Oct. 29 in Vancouver on charges of conspiracy to violate U.S. narcotics laws, conspiracy to import narcotics and conspiracy to money-launder between 2011 and 2013. Evidence gathered against Ellingson stemmed from the U.S. investigation into Silk Road founder Ross William Ulbricht, according to

The plot intensifies in the fight over academic freedom and bogus journals at Thompson Rivers University.
Concerns are rising about how the incoming president of the Kamloops university, Brett Fairbairn, resigned from his previous position at the University of Saskatchewan after violating the academic freedom of an outspoken professor. The messy 2014 case echoes the growing controversy at TRU over the July suspension of Derek Pyne.
Pyne, an economist, has drawn international attention for his pe

Thinking about home renovations? If your home was built before 1990, it probably contains asbestos, which will have to be removed safely before any other work can begin.
Asbestos is an odourless, colourless, naturally occurring mineral that can be found in more than 3,000 building materials used in homes built before 1990.
Some common affected materials include vinyl tiles and linoleum flooring, loose insulation such as vermiculite, roof shingles, stucco, pipe insulation, gypsum-board filling co